Mar.9 (GMM) Reigning world champion Lewis Hamilton has flagged the coming of a new rival for the 2009 season.

On a visit to the German capital Berlin, the 23-year-old Briton admitted to the country's major Sunday newspaper Bild am Sonntag that he counts Sebastian Vettel as very much a dark horse for the forthcoming championship campaign.

Red Bull's new Renault-powered RB5 has been a standout of the pre-season tests, and last week at Jerez its 21-year-old driver set the fastest lap of the five-day session during a low-fuel run.

"Sebastian is on the way to being a star," Hamilton, who drives for McLaren, said.

"He proved it last year by winning in Monza that he is a winning driver. This year he can mix it at the front and I am expecting him to do so," he added.